theathaschroniclefandomcom-20200214-history
Evereska (Country)
History Evereska is relatively new realm, especially by Elven standards. The War of Weeping What is now Evereska began life as a religious outpost known as Galadh Canad, or Four Trees in the Common tongue. It was a simple colony in the northernmost reaches of Eregion, where the priests and priestesses would gather and meditate. It also served as a stop for Druidic Circles and Rangers passing through the area. 1998 CR brought with it the War of Weeping, in which a coalition of Drow and undead hordes led by the Veiled Court. During the war, Four Trees served as an important point; herbal remedies and healing potions were produced en masse at the site and magically shipped to waiting clerics of Corellon were waiting. The Retreat In 2104 CR, the Crystal Tower fell and the Veiled Court captured Thyferra, the capitol city of Eregion. They hung the heads of the Royal Family from the parapets, left the dead in the streets and turned the Coronal into a zombie, to be their servant (so the story goes). With the line of Celberen severed, the Elves of Eregion were left with few choices. Unable to repel the invaders any longer, the decision was made to evacuate and flee into the north, into the valley at the northern edge of their territory. This mass migration from the ruins of Eregion to the valley of Evereska is known as The Retreat. Early History For the first seventeen years, the first Coronal wandered the realm, looking for a capitol city. While every city he visited was grand or beautiful in its own way, nothing felt quite right. After some meditation, he envisioned a city with a great, white, glistening tower at its heart and set out to find the field where that city lay. After many weeks of travel, he arrived at a hillock and a wind whispered that he had found the one. He climbed to the top of the hillock, plunged his moonblade into the ground. He then summoned the other elves to him and waited seven days. On the morning of the seventh day, he removed the sword from the ground, the earth rose with it and with the power of the sword erected Cloudrunner Tower, the tower from which the Coronal governs the realm. The early days of Evereska were relatively peaceful, if not a bit tumultuous. Incursions from Drow, ghouls, Kellids, Orcs and Hobgoblins were constant, but manageable. The Elves made a decision early on to become isolationist, electing not to interfere with the affairs of other realms unless absolutely necessary. The War of Brothers In 2328 CR, the Winter Court was founded by a group of Vyshaan, who are Elves who turned from traditional Elven ways and instead turned to a social and mental structure more similar to human lands. The thought was that the Old Ways led to the downfall of Eregion in the first place. The Winter Court often debated long hours with the Spring Court and the Coronal and, in the spring of 2330, a more extremist sect of the Winter Court launched an attack. This action led to a bloody Civil War between the Spring and Winter Courts that lasted many years and, in some ways, continues on to this day (although the fighting has died down). Recent History Cuthas of 2547 CR saw the coming of a demonic entity known as Treerazer. The demon hordes spilled into Evereska. The demon was contained by Gruumas of that year, and bound to what is now known as the Vale of Lost Voices. Its presence can still be felt in that wretched place. Yondas of 2590 saw the founding of an Elven extremist group Eldreth Veluuthra, a group of nationalist Elves (primarily High Elves, and even Vyshaan among their ranks). Their primary goal is to espouse the supremacy of the Elven people over other humanoid races, and seek to spread Elven influence throughout Athas. Some sects seek to remove all non-elves--especially humans--from Athas. They have remained primarily diplomatic and dogmatic, though they have begun to build an armed army of their own. 2604 CR saw an attempted invasion by a Hobgoblin army, led by Grand Warlord Garlung the Tormentor. The war was not successful for the hobgoblins, but their numbers were great and the fighting lasted many years. Garlung himself was slain in the Battle of Tall Trees in 2620. The hobgoblin army tried to regroup several times, but it eventually splintered into a few dozen wandering tribes that settled along the southern and western borders, and a few in the foothills of the World's End Mountains. Geography Evereska is a haven of incredible natural beauty. The predominant feature of the country is the Fierani Forest, but Evereska also boasts sweeping plains and the foothills of both the White Peaks and the World's End Mountains. The leaves in Evereska do not fall; instead, in the winter, they turn gold and fall only in the spring. During this time, yellow and pink flowers appear on the trees until green leaves grow in around early April. These trees cover most of the land, which is rocky in the eastern and northern areas. Rolling hills, beautiful grasslands and picturesque clearings are also counted among the features of the land. The Fierani Forest was once the largest forest in Athas, covering most of northern Rikea; nearly to the Brevoy Waterways. Although it has long since receded, the forest that remains is ancient with tall, strong, thick-canopied trees. Wildlife is abundant and fey live in unexpected niches. The Border Wood, also known as "Rystal Wood", is a large forest that borders Rikea along the south. A mixture of pines, oaks and other deciduous trees covers the area, making travel difficult. Something known as the Flaming Tower lies here, once built by Fire Giants but destroyed by Harpers and a group of adventuers in the year 2301 CR. It has since been taken over by the remants of Garlung's horde, who seek to restore the tower to its former glory. Mierani Forest, 'also known as the "Satyrwood", is the smallest forest in Evereska and is fiercely protected by a cabal of Elven druids of the Crying Leaf from the Kellid hordes of the north. A large population of Satyrs also dwells in the forest, near the roads. '''The Winterwood '''is located along the border of the Frozen Lake. The Winterwood is a vast woodland filled with pines and oak, and covered in frost almost year round. Due to the mist from the lake, seems to be always covered in a layer of fresh snow. Notable Landmarks '--Gates of the Moon: A church of Corellon built high into the peaks of the World's End mountains. Hidden by magic, it is said to house the greatest treasures and secrets of the Elven people. '--Greenmeadow:' A huge meadow (about sixty square miles) separated from the city of Gondolin by the River Ardulith. Giant sunflowers and bumblebees the size of grapefruit are found throughout. There are typically around a hundred Moon Horses and Mearas roaming freely in the fields instead of being restricted to stables. '--Galadh Canad/Four Trees:' A holy site for the Elves, it is a Correllon-blessed place of pilgrimage. '--Vyshaan Barrows:' West of East Peak, these burial mounds house important nobility of the Vyshaan people. They guarded by a group of Vyshaan known as The Tomb Guard, who swear solemn oaths to hunt down any thieves until any stolen artifacts are recovered or the thief dies, whichever comes first. '--Dawnsglory Pond:' A naturally beautiful spring filled with mineral-rich, healing waters. Found in Leuthilspar. '--The Groaning Cave:' A natural amphitheater fronted by a white marble veranda and colonnade, situated atop a small hill surrounded on its lower slopes by a small grove. '--The Hanging Gardens of Faenya: '''A series of floating beds of vine lotuses, cloud roses, sky blooms and night jasmine that fill the air with sweet fragrances, with their roots dangling into the knee-deep, mucky waters of the nourishment pond. '--Vale of Lost Voices:' Once known as The Tangled Vale, it became something far more sinister when the demon Treerazer was banished there. The demonic essence of Treerazer and his minions has corrupted the Vale, turning it into a dark swamp where the light of the sun rarely reaches the ground and evil fey cavort with abyss-spawned demons. The evil is contained and the surrounding communities protected by the Vale Guard. Notable Settlements ''Note: All Elven cities have two names: the Elven name and the Common name (which is not always a direct translation of the Elven name). Typically, only Elves refer to a city by its Elven name, and almost everyone refers to the cities by their Common name, even Elves when talking to outsiders. '--Gondolin (GOHN-doe-lin):' Capitol of Evereska. Intentionally always magically cloaked in a mist or fine rain from the outside and travelers who are not welcome can never seem to find their way to the city. It is an awe-inspiring combination of elven magic and architecture with the natural environment. Indeed, most buildings are artfully entwined with the twisting trees, designed to protect and augment both. The structures are mostly constructed from silver and crystal, and smooth, twisting towers are popular motifs. Music, laughter and birdsong are the first sound visitors hear when entering the city. Cloudrunner Tower stands in the center of the city, where the Coronal lives and the Spring Court meets. '--Ezelmalad (ehz-ELL-mall-odd)/Greengold:' The second-largest city in Evereska and official entry-point into the kingdom for non-elves (though a few exceptions exist). Situated on the Frozen Sea, Greengold is a popular port of call for traders and diplomats. Greengold generally appears as any other human dockside settlement, except that trees grow in strange places throughout and the yellow roofs on many of the buildings make the city quite distinct. A wall of ice rises from the bay in cases of invasion. '--Leuthilspar (LOOTH-ill-spar)/Crystalspire:' Known as "the Shining City" or "the City of Glass". Most buildings were made magically, "growing" the materials from the ground. As such, the city is mostly made out of materials like alabaster and glass. The wooden buildings have roofs of natural bark or leaves, though most are made of crystal or gems, and sparkle in both the sun and the moon light. Many of the roads are also paved with crystal. An old human historian wrote of it; "It seems the city is made of glass or insects' wings. A hypnotic swirl of ramparts and impossibly high towers, designed to catch the light of the sun and break it to its component colors, which lies draped across its stones until you're thankful for nightfall." '--Gladh Remmen/Twisted Trees:' Hidden in the Vale of Lost Voices, populated by oaks, firs and elms, though they are magically twisted in a way that renders travel nearly impossible in some places. The city is large by Elven standards, the residents of Twisted Trees are paranoid, xenophobic and hostile to outsiders, especially non-elves. Many of its residents are on patrols or otherwise wandering among the Tangled Vale along its networks of twisted paths and webbed through-ways from connected tree forts to other platforms high in the branches. The region is known to be home to a Green Dragon locally known Hloire. '--Quendegaladh (Kenday-GAHL-odd)/Elventree:' Near the foothills of the World's End Mountains. Built up with wood on ruins of stone buildings, it's an elegant but natural-looking palace. There are also a number of structures in the trees which are linked by bridges of silver rope and white planks. A sizable human and half-elf population dwells here, and the city harbors Skyhall, one of the Outposts for the Harpers. Known for their rare herbs, medicinal plants, exotic fruit and tapestries. '--Semanthyr (Seh-MAN-theer)/Secret Caves:' A range of wooded hills that are home to a cavern-dwelling community of elves. It lies on the banks of Lake Semanth, in the southwest of Evereska. The trees here are among the thickest in the forest and the ground level is often thickened by the canopy overhead (thus the elves build arboreal settlements so as to not be completely without light. This causes an ever-present fog that rolls along the forest floor, with accompanying lichen, humidity and mushy peat that can be found throughout. Near the lake is a series of limestone caves that criss-cross beneath the lake and act as hideaways for the elves of the area, though the passages are known to flood every once in awhile. The caves are protected by magical Sigils. '--Avennara/Lodge Town:' A small elf village, located near the western edge of the Fierani Forest. There is a hunting lodge there that secretly houses a gate to the Underdark. The Lantern Bearers use the lodge as their secret headquarters. '--Erages (Ee-raj-ees)/Exile:' A small fishing community settled among the ruined stone towers of far older cities on the shore of Lake Encarthan. Composed almost entirely of Half-Elves, living in virtual exile from the rest of the country. '--Drelagara:' A small Vyshaan city ruled by the noble House Nailo. The buildings are made of enchanted white marble, magically raised from beneath the ground. The whole city and the surrounding meadow is surrounded by twisted vines as thick as a tree, covered in massive thorns. The meadow is surrounded by forests on all sides and are within a days' ride of a beach. The Vale Guard is based in Drelagara. '--Omesta/Strange Branches:' Inhabited primarily by tree-dwelling gnomes, who have lived there since before the Elves settled the land. '--Elion/Cold Harbor:' A fishing town and harbor located on the Frozen Lake. A small population of humans lives in the town, officially as "Ambassadors". It's governed by a small council that is elected to settle disputes and maintain order. This council always has three human members. The town is politically neutral and its people keep to themselves. Government Elven Rule As a people, the Elves aspire to be truly individualistic and despise authority as humans or dwarves might see it. As such, no single settlement has a ruling monarch or mayor or governor. Instead, Elves live by supporting one another in each community. However, even the Elves need a central authority when it comes to national policy and rousing the Elves to war. This authority is known as the Spring Court, made up of elected representatives from every Elf village, city and/or settlement, as well as several religious authorities. The Spring Court itself led by a figure called the Coronal, which can be a male or female, from any village. The position of Coronal once passed through bloodlines, but that tradition passed with the fall of Eregion. Laws Elves, as a whole, have a disdain for traditional laws. Whie they do have a set of rules on how citizens should behave, they act more as a set of guidelines than actual laws. There are no officers of the peace. Instead, volunteer militia keep the peace in cities and villages. The guilty are rarely imprisoned, instead being put to work for the betterment of the community. Society People Evereska is populated almost exclusively by High Elves, despite their limited number and low birth rate. There are, however, certain communities where non-elves are welcomed, such as the port cities of Greengold and Elion, and the Vyshaan city of Drelagara. They are isolationist and tend to be hostile or suspicious of outsiders. Lore '--The Walker in the Mists:' A Mist Golem that wanders the forests. It seems to ignore Elves if the fair folk don't aggravate it, but it attacks almost all others on sight. Luckily, it seems to be dumb and fairly slow. Regardless, a blue mist is never a good sign. '--Hloire:' A Green Dragon who dwells around the Vale of Lost Voices. Young by Draconic standards, Hloire (translating to Venom, in the Common tongue) is universally known as a cruel, greedy monster whose lair is surrounded by a highly toxic, borderline acidic lake inhabited by twisted Merrow. '--Treerazer:' A nascent demon lord whose presence is shown through the appearance of diseased mushrooms. Any living creature close to Treerazer is likely to start sprouting fungus from its skin. Secret cabals of cultists worship Treerazer throughout Evereska. '--Moonblade:' A magical longsword passed down through elf lineages. They are forged from Starmetal and have a moonstone found in the pommel. '--The Harpers:' Greycloaked elves who act as roaming protectors of the realm. Led by the seven High Harpers, who are elected through means of secret ballots. '--The Lantern Bearers:' A secret society of elves dedicated to hunting down Drow.